Last updated: Monday 10 August 2020
Latest government regulations require everyone to wear a mask in shops, so if your veg scheme collection point is in (or through) a shop, you must wear a mask, scarf or other face covering when collecting your veg.
We encourage all members to wear face coverings at all collection points to keep our team and each other safe, especially as some veg sheds and cupboards are small, confined spaces, even if they are outside.
As always, please let us know if you feel unsafe at any collection point, so we can address any issues.
Thanks so much for completing our lockdown survey. You gave us loads of useful feedback and ideas. We're working through your suggestions and starting to make changes. Please stick with 2m gaps when queuing to collect your veg.
Please log into your veg scheme account to book or cancel holidays, donate to the food credit scheme or to change your order. Why not make the most of the summer's gorgeous produce by trading up to a bigger bag for a few weeks?
Latest veg scheme Collection Point updates
Latest farmers' market updates. Which stalls to expect this Saturday, online orders and pre-orders and how to keep safe when shopping.
Volunteering at our growing sites
Operational changes we're making to keep you safe.
UPDATE: 7 August. The market will be open this Saturday 8 August, 10am till 2.30pm.
We encourage you to wear a mask when shopping at the market to keep you, other customers and stallholders safe. GC staff and most stallholders wear masks, but we're still smiling! Please respect the 2 metre distancing rules both outside and inside the market.
As well as our regular hand-washing station, we've added hand sanitiser at the gate for you to use on your way in and out - if you want to.
There tends to be no queue after 11.30am, so consider coming later. Shop as quickly as possible, don't bring children unless absolutely necessary and leave bicycles outside the market. Please leave the market before eating takeaway food.
Keep those egg boxes coming! Fabienne from Galileo Farm is very grateful for all the egg boxes you have brought to the market. Please keep bringing them. Thanks.
If you'd like to receive weekly email updates about the farmers' market and other GC activities, please use the Subscribe to our mailing list box at the bottom of this page.
Provisional stall list for Saturday 8 August:
* Galileo Organic Farm is happy to accept email orders until 12 noon each Wednesday. Orders should be collected from the market between 12 noon and 2.30pm on Saturday to avoid the early rush. To collect, you need to join the queue.
PaMa and Hempen are not attending the farmers' market for now, but you can order from them online through these links: PaMa online shop and Hempen online shop.
Can't collect your bag? If you have to stay home, you're welcome to send a friend or neighbour to collect for you. Just make sure they have the collection instructions and padlock codes they need. Or join your local WhatsApp buddy group and ask a fellow veg scheme member to collect for you.
Wear a mask when collecting your veg - especially if you collect from a shop.
Keep us all safe by maintaining clean hands, and keeping a 2 metre distance from other people.
Please don't arrive early to pick up your veg bag. it will not be ready and you will be putting our staff and yourselves at risk.
If you are a member of the veg scheme and need to contact us, please email us.
Castle Climbing Centre
Green Lanes, N4 2HA
Collection times: Thursday 3pm - 7.30pm, Friday 9.30am - 5.30pm. Sorry we can't offer Saturday collection at the moment. If someone is already collecting when you arrive, please wait outside and give them space.
UPDATE 21 April: Don't prop the doors open when you collect. We understand that people want to keep touch to a minimum, but the Castle (and your veg bags!) need to be kept safe. The Castle team are doing us a huge favour keeping the collection point open just for us, when the climbing centre is closed. We don't want to lose their trust. Please respect the space, keep fire exits clear and remember to close the doors and gate when you leave, then wash your hands when you get home.
Please note: don’t be confused by the padlock to the right of the GC door, which gives access to a private Castle workspace. You can still open the left-hand door to access our cupboard using the keypad as usual.
Core Clapton - reopening Thursday 13 August
161 Northwold Road, Upper Clapton, E5 8RL
Collection times: Thursdays 3.30pm - 9pm, Fridays 8am - 5pm.
Collection times: Thursdays: 4.15pm - 6pm. Fridays: 3pm - 5pm. See email from GC about how to collect your bags. Brian and Marie are opening the garden as a huge favour to veg scheme members. If you'd like to thank them, they would love you to donate food or cash for them to pass on to Hackney Foodbank.
e5 bakehouse - Closed for veg scheme collection
Mentmore Terrace, E8 3PH
UPDATE 29 April: The bakery is now baking again and offering a takeaway service with reduced hours. But we are NOT YET reopening it as a collection point. We'll let you know as soon as that changes.
Hackney City Farm
Hackney Road, E2 8QA
Collection times: Weds 6-8pm, Thurs 11am-7.30pm, Fri 11am-4pm. Get Loose unpackaged shop is also open during these hours.
Please only go into the veg collection room two at a time. We are not selling bread and eggs to minimise queuing times. You will be able to access the veg cupboards on Thursday and Friday.
Hackney Downs Studios
Amhurst Terrace, E8 2BT
Collection times: Wednesdays 8pm-10pm, Thursdays 8am-8pm; Fridays 8am-8pm.
The swap box is back!
Hatch
8 Mackintosh Lane, Homerton, E9 6AB
Collection times: Wednesdays 7.30pm-10pm, Thursdays 8am-10pm, Fridays 8am-10pm.
Mother Earth Albion Road
5 Albion Parade, Albion Road, N16 9LD
Collection times: Wednesdays 5pm – 6.30pm; Thursdays 11am – 6.30pm; Fridays 11am – 6.30pm.
Mother Earth Newington Green
103 Newington Green Road, N1 4QY
Collection times: Wednesdays 4pm – 6.30pm, Thursdays 11am – 6.30pm, Fridays 11am – 6.30pm.
The Old Fire Station
61 Leswin Road, N16 7NX
Collection times: Wednesdays 3.30pm-9pm (staffed 3.30pm-7.30pm), Thursdays 8am-9pm, Fridays 8am-5pm. At Wednesday's staffed bag pick-up, collect from the main Fire Station through the red double doors. We have taken the padlocks off the cupboard doors in the yard to minimise handling, but please do close the doors when you have taken your bags. We occasionally see foxes in the yard - and we don't want them to nibble your veg!
The swap box is back!
We're trialling bringing back the swap box at the OFS, after more than three-quarters of you asked for it in our recent survey. It will be in the hall during the Wednesday staffed collection, then outside the cupboards in the yard after that.
For those of you new to the scheme, the swap box gives you a chance to exchange an item in your bag that you don't want, for one that you do. Please swap all of a particular thing: eg all your bananas for the whole portion of onions in the box.
Organic & Natural
191 Lower Clapton Rd, E5 8EG
Collection times: Wednesdays 3pm-8pm, Thursdays 10am-8pm, Fridays 10am-8pm, Saturdays 10am-12pm.
Redmond Centre - Closed
The Redmond Centre is closed. We are delivering bags to the nearby Castle Climbing Centre instead.
Round Chapel Old School Rooms
Old School Rooms, 2 Powerscroft Road, E5 0PU
Collection times: Wednesdays 1pm-9pm, Thursday 8.30am-9pm, Friday 8.30am-5pm. Please bear with us and hold off collecting until 2pm if you can.
St John of Jerusalem
Lauriston Road, E9 7DH
Collection times: Thursdays 11am-7pm, Fridays 10am-7pm, Saturdays: 10am-1pm.
St Peter de Beauvoir
Northchurch Terrace, De Beauvoir Town, N1 4DA
Collection times: Thursdays 1pm-8.30pm; Fridays 8am-8.30pm.
Fill in our joining form here. If you'd like to sign up our waiting list to hear when places come up at our full collection points, please give us your details here.
We've temporarily stopped volunteering activity at our Hackney and Dagenham sites due to Covid-19. Our sites are small and we don't want to put any of our growers or volunteers at risk during this time. We'll update this page as soon as that changes. Or you can join our mailing list, through the link at the bottom of the page, for weekly updates on all our activities.
Growing Communities staff are working hard to protect our members, market customers, ourselves and our families from the Covid-19 virus
We’ve been taking extra precautions in our packing and delivery operations to minimise the risk of transmitting the virus.
Veg packing: All staff have been trained in Coronavirus hygiene. All staff wash hands before the pack starts and wear gloves while packing. Staff know not to touch their faces or phones during the packing. All staff wash hands according to official public health guidelines before and after eating or any breaks. We have minimised staff in the office to avoid unnecessary foot traffic during the pack. We’re quarantining your returned plastic bags to eliminate risk of contamination, and we have removed most swap boxes.
Veg delivery: The delivery van is cleaned when drivers change over and delivery staff have been trained in how to minimise the potential for virus transmission.
Market: We have spaced out the stalls to allow for quicker shopping and safe queuing. Stallholders are offering cardless transactions wherever possible and have their own hand sanitisers. We no longer offer samples of produce at the market. Please make use of the hand-washing facilities and sanitiser as you leave the market. We recommend wearing a mask while shopping.
Our farm and growing sites: Our growers are washing hands and tools regularly, cleaning gloves frequently and have been trained in Coronavirus hygiene.
Please help us! The veg scheme operates via public collection points so we ask you to take all precautions for public spaces including wearing a mask, bringing your own hand sanitiser or sanitiser wipes to wipe your hands after collecting your bags. Please remember to wash your hands after unpacking your veg (and fruit) at home as well as washing all fruit and veg before use as usual.
